


Hold me tight or don't

by Gaybrand



Series: one offs/short stories [15]
Category: Everyman HYBRID
Genre: Kinda sorta still canon, M/M, Sorta hurt/comfort??, the boys try not to freeze
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-07
Updated: 2019-02-07
Packaged: 2019-10-23 21:18:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17691245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gaybrand/pseuds/Gaybrand
Summary: [The distance between us, it sharpens me like a knife]These days everyone seems on edge. Sadly the squabbles and arguments become more frequent and more heated. This time, however, Evan and Jeff are forced to deal with each other and perhaps come to a kind of understanding





	Hold me tight or don't

**Author's Note:**

> I write this in One day whilst ignoring all my other shit. The boys need to talk to each other also like gotdamn.  
> Sorta hinting at romantic feelings but not as much as usual. 
> 
> As always comments and feedback is always so appreciated I always read it even on short little ficlets like this it makes me happy:D

The car was silent and uncomfortable. Evan wasn't talking and Jeff wasn't making an attempt either. Their argument from before not let go and neither of them interested in starting it back up again. Jeff just wanted to go home and frankly go to bed. If Evan hadn't brought him here he would have just asked vinny for a ride, or stayed over with him. He only agreed to go home because he didn't want to leave Alex alone in case he had an episode or something. 

They were about halfway to Jeff's house when the car began to slow and the headlights dimmed, Jeff didn't think much of it at first until the car got slower and slower and eventually came to a sputtering halt. Evan managed to coast the car to the side of the road and park it again.

It took him a moment until he did anything and Jeff stayed quiet letting him process and calm down, as he had to do the same. The creaking sounds of the car causing a spike of anxiety in his chest. Anxiety he didn't voice in any manner, but that he took out by digging his nails into the palms of his hands as hard as he could and trying to force himself to breathe slowly. He hated the reaction but at least it wasn't a loud one. 

Evan tried to start it up again, the car made a weak noise but nothing more. Jeff watched him fidget and swear under his breath and then give up again. Evan wordlessly got out of the car to supposedly check out what was wrong despite the fact that jeff knew he had no idea how to possibly fix it. Jeff closed his eyes to try and think, but nothing was coming of it besides an addition to the stress he was already feeling. He didn't know how to fix the car either.

“God damn it.” Evan muttered slamming the car door when he got back inside.

“what.”

“I don't know i guess the car died, it won't work man,”

“you sure?” Evan sarcastically attempted to start it again to show him and grunted annoyed when it, predictably, didn't work at all. 

“great. Just fucking fantastic.” jeff groaned, not for the first time that night, lamenting that he hadn't sucked it up and drove here himself, or asked vinny. It didn't help that he'd forgotten his phone at his house before they'd even left and had no way to call someone. 

“you can't call anyone either can you.” Evan asked him after a moment.

“no...did you forget your fucking phone.”

“I didn't forget it.” Evan snapped “i...might..have lost it…” he finished mumbling.

“dumbass.” 

“hey you forgot yours so shut up.” 

“whatever I'll just go back to vin's to see if he can help.” jeff rolled his eyes. 

“it's way too fucking cold to walk even back to vins house man you'll fucking get frostbite.”

“id rather get frostbite than sit here.” jeff muttered, the ‘with you’ implied but Evan seemed to have got it since he scowled. 

“cool. Glad being around me is that fucking painful.”

“maybe if you weren't being such an ass it wouldn't be.” 

“you're acting like I just started being a dick to you and not like you started it.”

“I didn't even say anything that bad.”

“so fucking what, you didn't apologize.”

“I don't have a reason to.” jeff shrugged, and while he didn't actually believe that, he was just angry enough to say it. 

“I don't know why you can't just apologize. That's the only fucking thing I even wanted.” 

“it wouldn't have changed anything you'd still feel bad and pout so what's the point.” 

“is feel less bad knowing you give a shit to at least give me a losey ‘sorry for calling you stupid to your face and saying we don't want you around’”

“I didn't”

“that's what you meant.”

“that's what you think I meant.” 

“what else would it mean.” 

“you're just being dramatic and taking everything out on everybody and you kinda suck to hang out with.”

“how is that any different than what I said besides being worse.” Evan wouldn't look in his direction.

“alright I am sorry I just...i don't understand what the big deal is.” 

“then you're not fucking sorry.” Evan muttered still looking away. Jeff watched him quietly, while still mad, he noted that he was shivering a lot more than jeff was, since he only had a jacket. Stupidly believing it wasn't that cold out or at least that he could take it. 

“you're freezing dude.”

“I have a blanket in the trunk….” Evan shrugged listless while reaching for the door.

“no evan let me get it, you're cold enough already” Jeff opened his door first and glared at him. Evan regarded him with suspicion but sighed and reached down to unlock the trunk. 

Jeff got out and was immediately hit with painfully sharp wind. He braced himself as much as he could and pushed through the wind and the snow, finding it too cold to even breathe properly, Evan had been right he supposed. In the trunk was a few supplies, including jumper cables, which still wouldn't do them any damn good when no one was going to be out at this time during this weather. There was also a fairly big hunting knife, some frozen bottles of water, and eventually Jeff spotted the blanket. It was huge and thick and wrapping it around his shoulders managed to block out a decent amount of cold. He almost considered walking back to vinny's with it on for help, but when he thought back to how cold Evan must be he couldn't. 

He closed the trunk, hating the feeling of how cold the metal of the car was, and crawled into the backseat of the car.

“you really not gonna share?” Evan shook his head exasperated. 

“get back here.”

“why”

“so we can share it idiot. We're pretty much stuck here for tonight.” 

“I'm fine up here.” Evan crossed his arms.

“just suck it up and get under here or you're gonna fucking freeze to death.” jeff huffed rolling his eyes. Evan looked like he was about to argue but instead just sighed and crawled into the backseat with him wrapping the blanket around them both so there wasn't any cold air sneaking in. As scary as the situation was, Jeff realized he wasn't as scared having Evan around. Even if they'd been arguing. 

They didn't touch one another at first despite being forced under a blanket, but after a few minutes of silence Evan scooted closer and closer to huddle up to Jeff, which admittedly warmed him up more. Jeff felt kind of bad, he didn't think he'd really hurt Evans feelings, but Evan was pretty upset. And now here Evan was, in a sense being the bigger person by not letting his feelings get in the way of helping them both, no matter if he was still angry. In that regard especially, Jeff kind of felt like a prick. 

“you ok?” he asked softly.

“you still didn't apologize.” Evan shrugged. “it doesn't matter really…” 

“I am sorry...i just don't like.. understand all the time why it would make you so upset. I don't want to make you feel like shit.” 

Evan was quiet for a moment and Jeff wondered if he didn't wanna talk about it. It was frustrating sometimes how closed off Evan tended to be, they'd been friends since they were fairly young and yet it felt like Evan didn't trust him, especially now when things were so uncertain and stressful. Evan was inclined to turn inward with feelings and the pressure led him to explode at smaller things he usually wasn't as bothered by. 

“I don't know. It's like lately I can't take anything as a joke. I'm just as tired of it as you guys are of me…”Evan mumbled eventually.

“we..we aren't tired of you…” Jeff looked at him sadly, finally sort of getting insight to why he was so upset. Of course he thought they were tired of him, of course he thought he was being pushed away. 

“well it sure fucking feels like it”

“I'm sorry…” Jeff wasn't sure if he'd heard him, but he stayed quiet for another minute.

“if you have a problem with me there's no need to make jokes about how it sucks to be around me. I know I haven't been all fucking smiles and rainbows to be around but….i don't know I guess I hoped you would just say something or...at least be there...i don't want to need help but….it'd be nice if someone….” He didn't finish, shaking his head and sighing. “I...i know you have Alex to worry about I don't need you to deal with me too I just, I don't want to be treated like I'm a burden to you. I don't want to be a burden to you.” 

“you're not. I am sorry ok, I get it now. I don't have a problem with you really I just, sometimes the way you deal with things is frustrating because I can't understand what you're thinking and feeling and you kinda lash out and I don't have a great temper either cus of all this. It just turns ugly really fast and I don't want it to. We should be helping each other not, not fighting all the time. “ Jeff sighed and glanced back at Evan who nodded.

“makes sense. I'm sorry too, I shouldn't lash out at you for stupid shit. You're right and I don't wanna fight either.” 

“I love you Evan I don't wanna lose, well, us just cus everything is so hard right now.”

“you won't jeff, I'm not goin anywhere if I can help it. We'll be alright, we'll get through it y'know. We always do. “ Evan said gently and Jeff inexplicably felt some of his worry fade away, leaning against him more, both quiet for a moment.

“hey jeff?”

“yeah?”

“I love ya too.” jeff smiled and rested his head fully on the other man's shoulder. The forgiveness implied in their affection. The irony of feeling less stressed now than he had in months while in very real danger of freezing not entirely lost on him. 

“figures we work it out while we're Stuck out here getting hypothermia.” jeff attempted a joke, while ready to apologize for it.

“we won't get hypothermia, there's no water around.” Evan said confidently, “how's it gonna get in our lungs”

“evan, that's pneumonia.”

“oh, well whatever we won't die if we cuddle together for warmth.” 

“huddle.” 

“no, cuddle.” Evan corrected, putting an arm around him and adjusting so they were in fact cuddling. Jeff was pretty sure this was alot warmer too. 

“might as well sleep some jeffy,” Evan murmured, “we ain't going anywhere for awhile.” 

“I'll try” Jeff nodded, admittedly fairly tired. He cozied up to evan, using his body as a bed and chest as a pillow and found himself drifting off to Evans heartbeat. 

Jeff awoke to bright light inside the car and had to blink several times to get his eyes to adjust to it. Day had come and it seemed he'd survived the night. He was still draped over Evan who was sleeping soundly, the rise and fall of his chest confirming that he was okay.

“evan….evan wake up bud,” Jeff shook him gently

“hm..shit..” Evan squinted at all the light surrounding him and sat up slowly.

“morning, sleepy.” jeff ruffled his hair, disorienting him even more. 

“morning..where's my kiss.” Evan grinned sleepily back only vaguely attempting to fix his hair.

“nope. Not today, your piece of shit car stranded us,” Jeff poked him several times playfully. He was never sure when Evan had started asking him, only that his role in the game was to come up with some excuse to withhold kissing him. It did assure any doubts that the two were on good terms again, regardless. 

The two of the stretched and decided to test the weather, still sharply cold, but tolerable and most importantly, not possibly dangerous. 

“we should be able to wall back to vins place.” jeff stretched, “it's not nearly as cold as it was last night.”

“yeah I think between the three of us we have to be able to figure out how a fucking car works right?” Evan shrugged and Jeff chuckled. 

“man vins gonna kick our asses for sleeping out here like that,” Evan commented as they headed down the sidewalk. 

“oh for sure. Yours first probably.” jeff teased.

“it's always my fuckin fault,” Evan fake pouted.

“gotta blame somebody.”

They continued down the road for awhile, joking and genuinely having a good time just being in each other's company. So much so that at one point Jeff realized they were holding hands, despite the cold, and as surprised as he was he let the discovery go unmentioned. It was as natural as the snow on the ground and as warm and friendly as the living room they eventually found themselves in after reaching their destination. 

There was no mistaking the danger that was inherent in everyday of their lives now, but there was also no taking away the newfound understanding, despite how small, and how much of a difference it made.


End file.
